National Black Political Convention: Gary Declaration

Despite the successes of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, African Americans still felt that there were significant impediments keeping them from achieving full equality. In 1972, the United States saw the first steps toward African American politicization when Shirley Chisholm announced she would run for president, making her the first African American candidate to run for the office of president. Chisholm met stiff resistance, particularly from African American men who believed she was little more than a symbolic entry in the Democratic Party’s efforts to appeal to the growing political activism of Blacks in America. In March 1972, the National Black Political Convention assembled in Gary, Indiana, home to one of the first African American mayors of a large city, Richard Hatcher.